the hoop house

It was risky, an outdoor spring dinner. The previous year, Patrick and Rebecca Ryan were lighting fires in the orchard to protect the budding fruit trees from cold and snow. This year, however, the pink evening light and mild temperatures added the perfect backdrop to our hoop house dinner at Ryan’s Fruit Market in Timberville, Virginia.

The history of the farm itself is a fascinating one. The original 500 acre plot was acquired by Patrick Ryan’s ancestor in 1780 as a land grant for serving as a captain in the Revolutionary War. A Virginia Century Farm, Patrick and his wife, Rebecca are 9th generation farmers and the youngest family members in that lineage to own and run the farm.

Held just before planting season, a season full of optimism and excitement, our dinner was a celebration of all the good things to come—blossoms from the cherry and apple trees, freshly cut watercress, preserved peach and pepper jam, apples, Virginia trout, hints of summer tomato, spring lamb, verdant greens, and root cellar vegetables. 

The table was set with rolled beeswax candles and blooms that evoked bright happy feelings that come with a new dawn. Old signs that once marked each row of peach varietal on the farm, adorned the tabletop.

We partnered with Cirrus Vodka, a distiller out of Richmond, Virginia. Their premium vodka is made from potatoes sourced from small family farms in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and upstate New York–another fitting connection to the farm. Our guests enjoyed vodka-based cocktails on the edge of the orchard before moving to the hoop house for a beautiful spring dinner.

Afterwards, we drank homemade limoncello, locally-roasted coffee, and enjoyed the starry night sky.

THE ORCHARD

trio of appetizers
tomatoes | turner ham | potatoes 

cirrus vodka cocktails
cherry blossom | tomato | elderflower  

THE HOOP HOUSE

smoked virginia trout and apple salad
watercress | radish | blossoms | buttermilk 

carrot tartare with sourdough crisps
mustard oil | shallot | quail egg 

roasted heritage beets and burrata
citrus vinaigrette | hazelnut dukkah 

leg of lamb with white romesco
lemon salsa verde | spring vegetables 

early strawberries in vodka
meringue | pink peppercorn ice cream

Photography by The Commoneer
Furniture Rentals from Valley Heirlooms
China & Glassware from Argent Events
Flowers from Blakemore’s